MGW Dipstick Handle Defect/Problem?

[TCKTPLZ]

Well before any of you start to berate me on creating a topic as seemingly absurd as this, give me a chance to explain myself.

A while back I pretty much bought all of the MGW accessories for my snake. I installed them all and have been very happy with them. From what I can remember though I did run into somewhat of a problem with the dipstick handle.

As per MGW's instructions, you are suppose to tighten the setscrew on the flat side of the dipstick:

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Problem is, when I do this and follow the instructions, the dipstick does not align correctly:

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As shown above, the dipstick handle is in a vertical postion where as it supposed to be in a horizontal position as shown below (note: dipstick is not fully in and is just dangling to show what it is supposed to look like):

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To get around this when I originally installed the dipstick, I just tightened the handle to the unflat or "side" of the dipstick. It seemed to be on pretty good so I never really thought of it again.

However, this is where the problem occurs. After cleaning out the engine bay I decided to check the oil. I pulled on the dipstick handle and sure enough it slid right off the dipstick. It seems that it was just dangling there. Good thing it didn't fall off.

I know this is from tightening the handle to the unflat part of the dipstick. The unflat part just does not provide enough surface area to adequately fasten the handle. However, if you follow MGW's instructions which state: "When you put your dipstick back in your car you will see that if you do not tighten the screw against the flat side of the dipstick it will not orient correctly," the dipstick will NOT orient correctly. It remains vertical as shown above and not horizontal.

This leaves me to believe that perhaps when making this particular dipstick handle the machinist drilled the hole for the setscrew on the wrong side of the handle. If you follow MGW's instructions it will not align and if you tighten it on the unflat side of the dipstick it will just come right off.

Has anyone else encountered this problem...or should I just take a long walk off a short pier?

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. To those of you who could not find any value out of this useless drivel, here is a nice picture to look at :

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[Casey]

That is exactly what mine does too.

It only bugged me for a while, and then I forgot about it until now.

If you come up with a solution, let me know. I would love to have mine fitting properly too.

 

[NOTV8]

It happened to me too. What I did is cut a piece of sheet metal (aluminum) thick enough that I can put on the other side of the dip stick that will support it when you tightened the set screw so that it will not bend the dip stick. Then as you put it in just bend the pipe a little bit where the dip stick go so that it will not touch anything. I have no problem after that. On the other note they should had drill the set screw the other way. Good luck.

 

[Hockeysnake]

Mine is the same. Should be corrected without having to rig something. I'm a believer in building things that fit properly....otherwise don't build them and certainly don't sell them.

 

[BLUESNAKE367]

I Installed this part also, and, yeap have the same problem..

I called MGW, but, the people that answere the phones have no idea what I am talking about, left a message for some one to call me, but that was over a year ago, so I stopped holding my breath...

I guess I just deal with it now, but, if you find a better dip stick that looks as good, put me down for the group buy.

Thanks,Rick

 

[ViperRichRT10]

Same problem here as well! Sounds like when MGW had them made, the entire batch was made wrong. I am surprised they sell them when you know, that have to know!

 

[TCKTPLZ]

WOW, thanks for your replies guys/gals. I figured either I was the only one with this problem or perhaps I am a little too fussy.

JASMELMIC's advice would be a solution to this problem. Without using the small piece of metal to support the side of the dipstick as JASMELMIC recommends, the setscrew will bend and damage the side. As previously stated, there just isn't enough surface area to adequately fasten the setscrew.

I am going to call tomorrow but I figure I will run into the same problem as BLUESNAKE367. It's pretty hard to explain without pictures. Hopefully Geroge will stop by and see this thread.

At first I just forgot about it, but come think of it for $32.00 people shouldn't have to face this problem. I have all of the other MGW GEN II accessories for my snake and all of them were flawless. Let's hope MGW endeavors to make our dipsticks as fine as their other products.

 

[Jay Herbert]

Sure sounds like it is drilled 90 degrees out. Send MGW a link to this thread.... a picture is worth a thousand words

If all fails, take it to a machine shop and have them drill and tap a hole rotated 90 degrees from the current position.

A more radical approach would be to twist the part of the dipstick after the cup 90 degrees using a vice and an adjustable "crecent" wrench. No guaranty it will not break, but it is likely mild steel which, if there is enough length after the cup, should handle it. Usually somewhere along the length of the dipstick will be a simnilar bend where you should be able to see the length needed for the twist. Based on that, you can make a judgement if there is enough length.

 

[Vic]

I'd call Lionel Hutz. (You know, the shady opportunistic contingency lawyer from the Simpson's?) No? Ok, nevermind...

 

[Steve-Indy]

I would politely suggest that you ALL call George directly at MGW...I would be very surprised to find out that MGW would NOT wish to correct the stated problem and make good on same.

 

[Steve 02/RT10]

Spoke with george and he states that its not suppose to be
tightened on the flat side. It was designed to be tightened on the edge.

 

[MGWLTD]

Hey guys,

sorry for all the confusion here but i hope i can clear things up...

1. i made a small hand drawn pic on the instruction sheet mainly focusing on the fact that the little cup that is on the stock dipstick should be left on. i also, think i may have confused the issue because we make a mustang dipstick that is indeed off 90 degrees.

BUT...

odd as it sounds the parts are made right and you do have to lock them down on the skinny side of the dipstick. it will hold you just need to make sure to lock the screw down tightly.

the REASON why you do not want to lock the set screw down on the flat side is that it can actually KINK the dipstick and bend it so that it will not sit down perfectly flush on the oil tube. we initially thought this was a good thing as it gave a bit of resitence when pushing the dipstick in but found that it was not really the best way.

also, we have founds that NOT ALL VIPERS ARE THE SAME!!!! some will require to lock the set screw 90 degreees off of others. this is due to the fact that the oil tubes may be installed a little different on the older vipers.

either way of locking will work. i imagine that if the handle slipped off then it just was not quite tight.


just remove your dipstick and loosen the set screw. then rotate the handle 90 degrees and then hold the dipstick tightly when applying the pressure with the screw until you feel it bite in. it should hold no problem. if you are really worried and want a bit more peace of mind you can always just fill the hole with some epoxy prior to tightening the screw but it really is not neccessary.

if anybody has any problems PLEASE let me know as we do not want any unhappy customers out there


regards
george

 

[MGWLTD]

also, as an after thought i may in the future just put 2 set screw holes in the diptick 90 degrees apart to address any variances. if anybody is not happy with their dipstick and wants to reutrn it then i have no problem with that either.

regards
george

 

[TCKTPLZ]

Spoke with george and he states that its not suppose to be
tightened on the flat side. It was designed to be tightened on the edge.

That's not what his instructions say. The picture of the diagram in the instructions above show this. Here is a picture of the text in the instructions if you don't believe me (note step 2):

Once again, if you tighten the setscrew on the edge, it will just damage and bend it. There is not enough contact area to tighten down the setscrew. Even when tightening the setscrew on the edge, the handle keeps "turning" and "moving" since the screw does not bave enough surface area to fasten to.

I cannot conceive that this was "designed" like this. There is no reason to want to tighten the setscrew on the edge rather than the flat. Look at MGW's instructions above, they will tell you this.

 

[MGWLTD]

as i stated in the above post yes the instructions do state this and yes that is the way it was ORIGINALLY designed and yes i need to fix the CURRENT instructions as that is not very professional to leave the old ones in . i have made new instructions i just did not notify the ladies that pack the products and they kept using the old ones .

BUT...

the hole we are talking about is only 3/16" diameter and has a 1/4-20 set screw. it WILL hold the dipstick just fine if you lock it down tightly and actually cause less bending or damage than if you lock it against the flat. as i stated, locking against the flat actually causes the dipstick to kink and can cause problems in itself. i have tried this obviously and am not working on thoery. if you tried it and it did not work then it could possibly not have been tight or just does not work for you. if it is the latter you are not obligated to use a product you do not like.

if you are not happy with the design please return it for a full refund. i do not want to make you upset or argue about this issue because that would not be productive for either of us. i have been using these on my vipers for years and never had a single problem BUT, i am not you and i fully respect your opinion. if it does not sit well with you i will make it right.

george

 

[FLX109]

Mine wouldn't stay the other way either and wouldn't sit right so this is how I have mine installed.

 

[IEATVETS]

Mine is the same way and I actually forgot about it until you started this thread. Thanx!! My only concern with doing it the way George says is what happens if the dip stick comes loose and falls down into the motor? Either way I don't care, I like it a lot.

 

[2001 Sapphire Blue]

Mine's the same way. It doesn't really bother me ...so I'm going to leave it alone. Now, if MGW wants to send me a corrected version...that's ok with me..I'll send the other one back. That would be the proper business thing to do!!

 

[TCKTPLZ]

Well I just got done fastening it to the edge of the dipstick. It did seem to on pretty good the last time I tightened it to the edge it and eventually came lose, so hopefully this time around I tightened it enough to stay on.

As I was doing this, I caused another problem. To get enough leverage to torq down the screw and the keep the dipstick from "turning," as I fastened it, I held the handle down on the table. I put a folder down so the handle would not be on the bare surface of my workbench. After I got done, I picked up the handle and noticed numerous scratches on the face of the handle. The folder itself is quite soft so I am surprised the handle got scratched. I did not realize the chrome was this delicate. If anyone does this or works on the handle, make sure you are working on a soft towel. If not, you will scratch the face quite a bit.

I have a Porter Cable 7424 Oribital Polisher on order for some fine scratches on the paint of my snake. Should I try to get rid of the scratches on the handle with that, or should I use something else?

 

[PDCjonny]

I have a Porter Cable 7424 Oribital Polisher on order for some fine scratches on the paint of my snake. Should I try to get rid of the scratches on the handle with that, or should I use something else?

Off topic, but you are going to love that 7424. I bought one recently and used it on my red GTS with some 3M swirl remover followed up by some NXT and it looks friggin awesome. I took out 80% of the swirls marks and cobwebs, I'm sure some more aplications will finish it up. Works terrific.

 

[TCKTPLZ]

I have a Porter Cable 7424 Oribital Polisher on order for some fine scratches on the paint of my snake. Should I try to get rid of the scratches on the handle with that, or should I use something else?

Off topic, but you are going to love that 7424. I bought one recently and used it on my red GTS with some 3M swirl remover followed up by some NXT and it looks friggin awesome. I took out 80% of the swirls marks and cobwebs, I'm sure some more aplications will finish it up. Works terrific.

Yeah, I used the link you posted on the "Holy Zaino" thread and bought it from them. Got a great deal. Did you use the pad it comes with or perhaps another pad? Dave (2BADD4U), here on this forum recommended me to use 6" x 2" yellow, black, and white polishing pads. Problem is there are very hard to find. I wonder if any other pad could be used. Thanks for the link!

 

[FLX109]

I have a Porter Cable 7424 Oribital Polisher on order for some fine scratches on the paint of my snake. Should I try to get rid of the scratches on the handle with that, or should I use something else?

Off topic, but you are going to love that 7424. I bought one recently and used it on my red GTS with some 3M swirl remover followed up by some NXT and it looks friggin awesome. I took out 80% of the swirls marks and cobwebs, I'm sure some more aplications will finish it up. Works terrific.

I have been wanting to get one of those polishers, where can I buy one?


FLX109

 

[PDCjonny]

I used the foam pad that came with it, and bought another just to be able to rotate them. Seems to work well. Deeper scratches may require a more agressive pad, guess you'll have to see the results yourself. I also tried Maguires swirl remover but liked the result with the 3M better. Since then I have bought all kinds of pads, the microfiber bonnets work great for removing the wax. I'm still playing around with mine. I work in my garage under flourescent lights and they show every swirl clearly. Take a good look at your swirls before you start so you can really judge what works best. I have read on other forums that the Viper clearcoat is TOUGH and may require more aggressive pads and compounds to get all the swirls out, but mine looks pretty good after just twice using the 3M. I am trying to use the least aggressive and move up if I have to.

Here's a good place for pads and stuff, ggod prices and quick ship: http://www.properautocare.com/

Right here FLX and they are near by. Some bonus stuff is included as well. http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/pr7424.htm?L+coastest+vvmp9276ffd13fd1+1116324864

Guess we are really veering off topic now...

 

[TCKTPLZ]

I have a Porter Cable 7424 Oribital Polisher on order for some fine scratches on the paint of my snake. Should I try to get rid of the scratches on the handle with that, or should I use something else?

Off topic, but you are going to love that 7424. I bought one recently and used it on my red GTS with some 3M swirl remover followed up by some NXT and it looks friggin awesome. I took out 80% of the swirls marks and cobwebs, I'm sure some more aplications will finish it up. Works terrific.

I have been wanting to get one of those polishers, where can I buy one?


FLX109

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/pr7424.htm?L+coastest+czst2705ff7c857c+1116328883

The lowest price you will find including a free velcro backing pad and a 6" counterweight.

Thanks for the link Jon. Those pads look really good!

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

I bought one from Coastal Tools as well, thanks to the previous Zaino thread. Matter of fact, it shipped out today.